Of Mole Hills and Mountains

Have you ever heard the phrase "making a mountain out of a molehill"?

It's usually said in a dismissive way from one person to another, who thinks the other person is overreacting to a behavior, event, or conversation.

Many times it is said by the person who has displayed behavior that has been offensive, and when called on it, they say 'Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill".

But that is not always the case.

It is sometimes used by a person who thinks another person should respond in the same way they do to a behavior, event, or conversation, and is meant to calm a person down, or cause them to reconsider their reaction to said behavior, event or conversation.

I may or may not have had this said to me, and/or have used this phrase myself. (Don't you love ambiguity? Or is this plausible deniability?) Same for you, right?

Believe it or not, this thought was spurred by a growing pile of dishes, and me, while washing them, wondering if mole hills can become mountains on their own. Like, if that thought made any sense at all. (Do your dishes ever multiply when you aren't looking?)

Mole hills are not a big deal to the person who doesn't have them in their yard. They may have never even seen one before. Hence their quick use of the above phrase.

Mountains are obvious problems, spiritually speaking. They are enormous, take a long time to get, are hard to navigate if we decide to climb them, are formed from trauma (plates of the earth slamming together), and everyone can see them from miles away. 

Mole hills are different though. They aren't high. You may not even know what it is if one pops up in your yard. Your neighbors can probably see it/them, but people on the other side of your house can't. And certainly no one can see it/them from a couple miles away.

However, mole hills are signs of a deeper issue. (Like literally under the ground.) Mole hills develop over time from a mole (or moles) burrowing and eating all the worms and grubs in an area.
This can result in the plant life dying because the mole has severed the roots while digging. Your yard health will definitely be affected, as the worms that used to aerate the ground are being consumed by the moles. There may also be ridges in your yard that are signs of their tunnels becoming closer to the surface. This happens when they've eaten everything and are looking for more food. And their hills look like little volcanoes everywhere.

So mole hills are a problem. Definitely.

Spiritually speaking, this may be underlying issues you have with something from your past. Maybe a person has hurt you, or offended you, and you haven't dealt with it, so that issue becomes like a mole tunneling beneath the surface, affecting other parts of your life, making little volcanoes that erupt all over the place, starving you of the nutrition you so desperately need...

Mole hills, while different from mountains, are actually quite large. They can be two feet across, and nine inches high! Certainly big enough for someone else to fall into if they aren't paying attention. If you looked at one that size from an aerial view, it would look like a crater. Pretty impressive considering moles themselves are only 5-8" long. 

So what's my point? (I do have one...)

Don't let underlying issues tunnel their way through your spirit until you are overrun, malnourished, and look like a person playing "Whack a Mole", trying to keep all your issues under control. It will make you frantic, and definitely cause you to look like you're overreacting to someone who can't see your back yard.

And if you're dealing with someone who has private mole hills, be kind. Don't tell them they're overreacting. Take time to listen, and pray with them. You will surely find there is a whole labyrinth of tunnels beneath the surface.

Galatians 6:1-2
(1) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
(2) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Psalm 139:23-24
(23) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
(24) And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.